Published on March 11th, 2019 | by Sunit Nandi

4 Smart Trends In Construction Tech

Technology is rapidly changing, and the construction industry should learn how to embrace and accept this kind of change to be productively efficient. For the past few years, there has been a lot of technological innovation that used to be futuristic but is slowly turning into reality and becoming very useful in the construction industry.

To give you a better idea, allow us to discuss some of the most critical areas that you should keep your eyes on, together with the 4 smart trends in the construction tech.

1. The rise of the Smart Factory Network

Prefabrication is probably one of the best technological innovations that are making a significant impact on the construction industry. Now, building teams are experiencing an incredible gain not only in workforce efficiencies but scheduling as well. They are also looking for better ways on how to encourage “big thinking” in the construction site even more.

For this, multi-trade racks, utilize curtain wall, pre-cast exterior walls can be very useful. It’s also worth noting that there are some emerging applications as well, such as interior partitions and precast foundations.

As what experts say, the smartest job site is not on site. However, it’s a network of job sites where trade contractors utilize prefabrication in a controlled environment.

2. Cameras That Could Turn 360 Degrees

Several construction companies have noticed the benefits of using 360 cameras on the construction site. One of which is that it reduces the need of visiting the site during the duration of the construction project, Aside from that, it also assists the team in evaluating and making sound decisions regarding the construction project.

It works in a way where every two weeks, a superintendent is tasked to install a camera with a fisheye lens and capture dozens of predetermined locations across the job site. These images coming from different areas are then stitched together using a PTGui software, and it’s linked to a fully customizable digital floor plan of the project. Through this, the whole team would be able to conduct virtual, high definition tour of the facility.

To give you a better idea, we’ll be using an example where there’s a conflict with duct work. To resolve this issue, the team would pull up the latest photo of that area, pan and zoom to that very spot and work with designers and clients to fix the problem.

3. Videos Being Controlled by Teams

There are various technological innovations like GoPros, drones, and tablets that make it possible to capture highly-detailed images in a breeze. For contractors, they must think of ways on how to use such information, as well as how to archive the video for future use. It’s also important to determine how you’ll be able to connect with the construction information workflow.

Various construction companies are working with software developers, such as JD Edwards, to come up with a custom tool that could take control of the video gathered. They are also planning to create a YouTube-like website that would make it possible for the staff to easily upload and quickly retrieve project videos right when they need it.

However, if we’re going to discuss the most noticeable feature that you can enjoy through this, it would be the advanced search function that would allow the viewers to focus on specific points according to the video input. This could be a three-hour project video, but it’s also important to pay close attention to the foundation installation at the 12-minute mark.

Construction companies are also working with software engineers to come up with a safety check program that’s capable of analyzing video feeds to determine the workers who are not wearing the prescribed safety gears and clothing. Their primary purpose is to promote easily accessible technologies like video and photos together with highly advanced analysis.

4. BIM in the Field

To speed the site inspection process, the implementation of a QR-code-based BIM-in-the-field workflow is highly advised. This allows the team members to quickly call up documents for a particular space and offer real-time feedback through scanning.

Aside from that, one of the most relevant applications of BIM would be quality control inspection as it ensures that everything is accurate and working the way it should be. This works excellent on work-list investigations as team members can quickly open the 360 field app and scan the necessary QR code.

Tags: construction, smart, tech, trends

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.